The WoW Token is the World of Warcraft item that connects real money and gold. You can buy it with money and sell it for gold at the Auction House, or buy it with gold and redeem it for 30 days of game time or €13 of Battle.net Balance. This guide walks you through both routes step by step, lists every limit from Blizzard Support and shows the game versions where the token does not work. Valid as of 20 October 2026.
What the WoW Token is
The token has two sides. If you want gold, you buy a token in the in-game Shop with real money and sell it at the Auction House. If you have plenty of gold, you buy a token at the Auction House and redeem it for game time or Battle.net Balance. A token bought with money can only be sold, and a token bought with gold can only be redeemed.
Supply and demand set the gold price. At any given moment every token in a region costs the same, and there is no bidding. We do not quote a figure because it moves all the time, and Blizzard does not publish the real-money price on its website. The in-game Shop and the Auction House show the current price.
I want gold: selling a token bought with money
- Open the in-game Shop, either from the
Escmenu or with the button next to your bags. - Buy a WoW Token. It arrives in your inventory, or by mail if your bags are full.
- Go to the Auction House and place the token in the Auctions tab.
- The current buyout price in gold appears. That is what you get.
The amount offered when you list the token is locked in, even if the market moves in the meantime. A sale can still take several days, because tokens sell in the order players listed them. You cannot cancel a token auction, and the Auction House takes no fee from the sale.
I want game time or Balance: buying a token with gold
- Open the WoW Token section of the Auction House.
- Click Buyout. The token arrives by mail.
- Right-click the token in your bags to open the redemption window.
You then pick one of two options:
- 30 days of game time for World of Warcraft.
- Battle.net Balance worth €13 or £10. According to Blizzard’s announcement, the currency follows the address registered on your Battle.net account.
You can spend Balance on services such as character transfers, on digital products like pets and mounts, or on items in other Blizzard games. If your Balance is already at its limit, you cannot redeem a token for it.
Has your game time already run out? You do not need to log in to a character. You can buy and redeem a token right from the character selection screen. In that case the gold from all characters on the realm, mail included, counts towards the price.
Token limits and restrictions
| Rule | What applies |
|---|---|
| Buying in the in-game Shop | up to 20 tokens per week |
| Tokens in your bags | up to 20 bought with money or 10 bought with gold, only one type at a time |
| Token bought with money | can only be sold at the Auction House |
| Token bought with gold | can only be redeemed |
| Trading | cannot be traded, mailed, sold to a vendor, banked or destroyed |
| Warband Bank | gold stored there does not count towards buying a token |
| Character holding a token | cannot be deleted, transferred, faction or race changed or boosted |
| Timerunning characters | the token is not available |
Who cannot buy a token
You cannot buy a token until your account has paid for and used at least one month of game time with real money since 2017. That first paid month has to run out in full. Your WoW region also has to match the country of your Battle.net account.
For newcomers this means one thing: the token is not a way out of the Free Trial. You first need to pay for at least one month, for example with a regular subscription. Our subscription price guide has the current prices, and the Free Trial guide explains what the trial allows.
Where the WoW Token does not work
The token exists in modern World of Warcraft and in WoW Classic Progression. In Classic Progression you can only redeem it for game time, not for Battle.net Balance. WoW Classic Era, Hardcore and Season of Discovery have no token at all. The differences between the Classic versions are covered in our WoW Classic guide.
Where the token came from
In Europe the WoW Token has been around since 21 April 2015. Back then it cost €20 (£15) in the in-game Shop. That is a historical figure, not today’s price. The full procedure and further rules are in the Blizzard Support article Using a WoW Token.
Join our Discord and ask other players whether the token is worth it for you right now: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
A token bought with gold redeems for 30 days of game time. Alternatively you can take Battle.net Balance worth €13 or £10.
The gold price changes with supply and demand, and Blizzard does not list the real-money price on its website. The in-game Shop and the Auction House show the current price.
No. You can buy a token once your account has paid for and used at least one full month of game time with real money since 2017.
No. There is no token in Classic Era, Hardcore or Season of Discovery. In Classic Progression it only redeems for game time.
No. Once listed, the token cannot be pulled back. You receive the amount the game offered when you listed it.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides are in our WoW guides section.